Recovered Betta Isn't Himself

I bought my betta fish from a reputable aquarium store several months ago, and he was very happy, active, curious, and friendly. But he recently got sick from accidental overfeeding (despite me knowing better than that because I've had bettas before). I caught it early and went through the steps to help him recover, and he did! Because he got lethargic while he was sick, he seems to have lost muscle and has trouble holding up his tail now. He is clearly frustrated by it and therefore is still content with staying at the bottom of his tank or propping his tail up on a plant and resting there rather than swimming around. Most of the time when he swims now, it's in bursts, likely to keep his tail from dragging him down too much. He also still hasn't eaten much since I fasted him 2 weeks ago. His coloring is fine (his body is peach and his fins/face are red), his scales are flat, his fins are healthy looking, he is not constipated anymore, and he is still making little bubble nests at night. He will still interact (I got him to look up at me pretty easily for the second picture, which I just took), and his fins have the capability to be flared (in the pictures, he just has them down. They're not clamped). He seems healthy, despite the lack of eating. Do you have any tips on how I can re-engage him in swimming more or if there is another underlying issue that is plaguing him?

 

Well this sort of happened to my Betta, in reverse, he was really lazy and got super active for who-knows-what. Would you mind filling this out? It will help us a lot.
Fish Emergency Template | 376562 | Freshwater Fish Disease and Fish Health

 

Well this sort of happened to my Betta, in reverse, he was really lazy and got super active for who-knows-what. Would you mind filling this out? It will help us a lot.
Fish Emergency Template | 376562 | Freshwater Fish Disease and Fish Health

Tank

What is the water volume of the tank? 2 GALLONS (THIS IS THE LARGEST I CAN FIT AT THE MOMENT)
How long has the tank been running? 6 MONTHS
Does it have a filter? YES
Does it have a heater? YES
What is the water temperature? 78 DEGREES
What is the entire stocking of this tank? 1 COMMON BETTA FISH

Maintenance
How often do you change the water? ONCE A WEEK OR WHEN IT GETS CLOUDY
How much of the water do you change? 30-50%
What do you use to treat your water? TOPFIN WATER CONDITIONER
Do you vacuum the substrate or just the water? NO SUBSTRATE (I HAD COLOR DYING ISSUES) BUT I DO VACUUM THE BOTTOM

*Parameters - Very Important
Did you cycle your tank before adding fish? YES
What do you use to test the water? NOT TESTED
What are your parameters? We need to know the exact numbers, not just “fine” or “safe”.

Ammonia: NOT TESTED
Nitrite: NOT TESTED
Nitrate: NOT TESTED
pH: NOT TESTED

Feeding
How often do you feed your fish? ONCE EVERY OTHER DAY (USED TO BE EVERY DAY PRIOR TO FASTING)
How much do you feed your fish? ONE PELLET (USED TO BE 3 PELLETS)
What brand of food do you feed your fish? TOP FIN
Do you feed frozen or freeze-dried foods? NO

Illness & Symptoms
How long have you had this fish? 5 MONTHS
How long ago did you first notice these symptoms? 3.5 MONTH AGO. TREATMENT STARTED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. IT TOOK TWO WEEKS FOR HIM TO RECOVER, AND IT'S NO 1.5 WEEKS SINCE HE PASSED HIS CONSTIPATION.
In a few words, can you explain the symptoms? PAST SYMPTOMS: LETHARGY, HEAVY BREATHING, SLIGHT BLOATING, SLIGHT PINECONING. CURRENT SYMPTOMS: LETHARGY, DIFFICULTY SWIMMING/HOLDING UP HIS TAIL, SPITTING OUT FOOD.
Have you started any treatment for the illness? THIS IS POST TREATMENT. HIS TREATMENT FOR OVERFEEDING INCLUDED FASTING FOR 3 DAYS AND FEEDING PIECES OF A CUT BOILED PEA ONCE A DAY FOR TWO DAYS UNTIL HE PASSED HIS CONSTIPATION.
Was your fish physically ill or injured upon purchase? NO
How has its behavior and appearance changed, if at all? HE IS LESS CURIOUS AND SWIMS LESS OFTEN. WHEN HE DOES SWIM, IT IS IN SHORT BURSTS FOR AIR OR TO PROP HIMSELF UP ON A PLANT. HE WILL STILL TRY TO HOVER IN PLACE TO SAY HI, BUT HE GETS TIRED/FRUSTRATED QUICKLY AND FINDS A PLACE TO REST. HE WILL STILL BE PLAYFUL SOMETIMES, BUT IT'S MUCH LESS OFTEN THAN BEFORE. HE STILL RESPONDS TO MY VOICE THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME. HE'S PRETTY STUBBORN, SO THAT'S NOT ANYTHING NEW.

 

Ok, first you might want to turn Caps Lock off. Do you still notice any Swim Bladder Issues? Or anything visibly different? At this point it is hard to tell unless you can provide water parameters. I suggest picking up the API Liquid Test Kit if you can. Best of Luck.

 

Ok, first you might want to turn Caps Lock off. Do you still notice any Swim Bladder Issues? Or anything visibly different? At this point it is hard to tell unless you can provide water parameters. I suggest picking up the API Liquid Test Kit if you can. Best of Luck.

Just trying to differentiate between the questions and the answers. I don't think it's swim bladder disorder since he is passing waste (not sure where it's coming from since he's hardly eaten unless he's still emptying from his constipation).
I just added a test kit to my Amazon cart. Thank you.

 

Just trying to differentiate between the questions and the answers. I just added one to my Amazon cart. Thank you.

OK, that makes sense. Hopefully the test kit comes soon. Maybe try some research on the topic in the mean time.
Wait, where is the fish emergency answer? Did you delete it? And one more question: How long have you had him again?

 

OK, that makes sense. Hopefully the test kit comes soon. Maybe try some research on the topic in the mean time.
Wait, where is the fish emergency answer? Did you delete it? And one more question: How long have you had him again?

I still see it up there, so I'm not sure. I've had him 5 months. I got him on February first, and symptoms starting showing up about mid-May, so I don't think it's an inherent problem he has. I had a betta right before him that was inherently unhealthy, and he does not show similarities to that fish.

 

I still see it up there, so I'm not sure. I've had him 5 months. I got him on February first, and symptoms starting showing up about mid-May, so I don't think it's an inherent problem he has. I had a betta right before him that was inherently unhealthy, and he does not show similarities to that fish.

Hmm, that's weird. I don't see it. I thought that if he was elderly that might be the cause. But I assume you got him at about 1 year old, which is how old most stores sell Bettas at.

 

Hmm, that's weird. I don't see it. I thought that if he was elderly that might be the cause. But I assume you got him at about 1 year old, which is how old most stores sell Bettas at.

Yes, that's what I'm assuming, too. I cannot find a lot of comprehensive information about how long it takes a fish to recover from an illness and what that process looks like, as I know recovery is not always successful for fish.

 

Yes, that's what I'm assuming, too. I cannot find a lot of comprehensive information about how long it takes a fish to recover from an illness and what that process looks like, as I know recovery is not always successful for fish.

I guess he is technicallyyy old for a Betta, at least in the wild. My Betta is 2 Years old (I got him exactly 364 days ago! Tomorrow is the anniversary of when I got him) yet he is super active. We really just need to get readings, I might bump up the water changes a little on a tank that small. Trust me, I know the pain of having a Betta like this.

 

I guess he is technicallyyy old for a Betta, at least in the wild. My Betta is 2 Years old (I got him exactly 364 days ago! Tomorrow is the anniversary of when I got him) yet he is super active. We really just need to get readings, I might bump up the water changes a little on a tank that small. Trust me, I know the pain of having a Betta like this.

I'll give an update after the strips come this weekend. I was spoiled with my first betta who was extremely durable (he even actually liked car rides and travelling, even when he was over 4 years old). I have since learned that most bettas are very sensitive.

 

I'll give an update after the strips come this weekend. I was spoiled with my first betta who was extremely durable (he even actually liked car rides and travelling, even when he was over 4 years old). I have since learned that most bettas are very sensitive.

Just as a note, test strips aren't always that accurate, but they should give us a relative idea. Good Luck.

 

UPDATE:
My fish is still lethargic, but it seems like I've smothered him with attention, and he will only move and swim around when I'm not paying attention to him (I'm not sure he liked that he had to sit with me all day during quarantine...). He's exploring more now, because I find him taking naps in his new plant decor that he left untouched for about 3 weeks. I'm trying to reestablish a routine for him like he had pre-quarantine in terms of when we interact and to give him space to get his energy back up.

I got the test strips (they are slightly tricky to read), and the levels are within range, though the nitrite is slightly above 0, when I know it should be 0. This was about an hour after a partial water change, though, so there's a good chance the water has not completely cycled.

 

UPDATE:
My fish is still lethargic, but it seems like I've smothered him with attention, and he will only move and swim around when I'm not paying attention to him (I'm not sure he liked that he had to sit with me all day during quarantine...). He's exploring more now, because I find him taking naps in his new plant decor that he left untouched for about 3 weeks. I'm trying to reestablish a routine for him like he had pre-quarantine in terms of when we interact and to give him space to get his energy back up.

I got the test strips (they are slightly tricky to read), and the levels are within range, though the nitrite is slightly above 0, when I know it should be 0. This was about an hour after a partial water change, though, so there's a good chance the water has not completely cycled.

Do note that the strips might not be giving you accurate readings. I'd assume the tank is cycled now but I'm not sure.
My Betta was acting the same way, then one day he knocked some scales off his head on some Ohko Dragon Stone, and ever since he's been super active. I'm not sure if this triggered it, I'm definitely not saying that this is good or should be done (knocking scales off), but I thought it was an interesting coincidence. I'm still not sure, maybe Bettas go through phases?